Businesses urged to use extended FREE advice service

A FREE advice and support service for businesses in Tamworth has been boosted with the appointment of another two advisors, to help as many as SMEs as possible in the next few months.

There are now three Growth Hub Advisors available to help small and medium sized businesses in the area reach their potential by providing them with the vital connections, information and support they need to succeed and grow.

The first Growth Hub Advisor, Klaudia Haines, was appointed at the end of last year, operating out of Tamworth Enterprise Centre and supporting businesses across Tamworth, Lichfield, Cannock and East Staffordshire.

She has now been joined by Louise Stolz and James Roberts. As Growth Hub Advisors, the trio have access to a range of services, initiatives and organisations that can help businesses tackle a variety of barriers to growth they may be experiencing.

This could include support with writing business plans for start-up firms, help recruiting staff, exploring funding opportunities and accessing training and workshops in a variety of sectors.

Tamworth Enterprise Centre, Philip Dix House,

Klaudia, Louise and James have been busy out and about meeting businesses at networking events and have already had appointments with more than 30 companies.

However, funding for the role is currently only available to September, so businesses are encouraged to take advantage of this really useful and free service before then.

Tamworth Borough Council is working in partnership with the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) Growth Hub to deliver the role to support businesses across Southern Staffordshire.

The advisors can provide information and signpost to a range of different organisations and schemes, such as the Higher Level Skills Match programme, which matches SMEs with work-ready local graduates, and linking with universities, such as Staffordshire, to promote the Higher and Degree Apprenticeships scheme which enables employers to recruit new apprentices through a free recruitment system. They also have access to a range of funding opportunities, training and workshops.

This includes the many workshops available through the Growth Hub itself and the Enterprise for Success programme, delivered by Blue Orchid, on an array of subjects from social media and marketing to tax and bookkeeping.

Leader of Tamworth Borough Council, Cllr Daniel Cook, said: “We are delighted to have been able to team up with the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership to deliver this really vital business support role.

“There’s so much to take in when you’re starting or running your own business that you can easily get bogged down in the day-to-day so it can be difficult to find out about all these great schemes and support that is available.

“Just one sit down with a Growth Hub Advisor can change all that. You could discover something that ends up being pivotal to your success. It can also help just to talk through your business growth and direction with someone impartial looking at things from another perspective.

“As this funding is only confirmed until September, we would encourage as many businesses as possible to take advantage of this free service and get an appointment booked in with one of the team.”

Sarah Gill-Townend from The Peel Aldergate hotel and Christopher’s Restaurant is among those who have already taken advantage of the free help. She said: “Klaudia has been like a breath of fresh air, signposting me to various relevant organisations that can help me move my business forward. The Growth Hub will be instrumental in helping my future business planning.”

The GBSLEP Growth Hub acts as a single point of contact for business advice, funding and support for any business across Greater Birmingham, either providing support directly, or referring to specialist advice through partner organisations.

Tamworth Borough Council also offers a wide range of local support to businesses. For more information, please visit www.tamworth.gov.uk/business.